


The World Was A Song

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe Non Magic, Christmas fic, F/M, First Meet, Fluff, Lily POV, M/M, Mentions of Racism, POC Potter, Singing, les mis soundtrack, modern marauders, present wrapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 03:39:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5524040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Escaping to the bar for a quick drink on her Christmas Holiday, Lily Potter is a sudden witness to her son's godfather falling face-first into a Christmas Miracle called Remus Lupin.  At the hands of bad present wrapping and the soundtrack to Les Mis, Sirius' night definitely made their trip worth it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The World Was A Song

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so I never thought I'd write a proper Christmas fic because well--I don't celebrate Christmas. However I'm at a conference at a hotel and I literally witnessed the makings of a wolfstar right in front of my face tonight. After my meeting I went to the bar and this poor sod was trying (and failing MISERABLY) to wrap some presents. He was singing les mis and the bloke at the end of the bar started singing along, and then offered to help. It was so adorable I almost died. And I shipped it so hard.
> 
> So now you have a quick little Wolfstar Christmas fic to enjoy. I also very much enjoyed writing this from Lily's perspective.

Heading down to the hotel bar, for the sixteenth time in the last thirty minutes she cursed this little holiday. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy travelling—she did, although travelling with a two year old wasn’t exactly high on her list of priorities—but it was Christmas, for fuck’s sake. Not that she and James had much at home, what with his parents not celebrating and hers having passed years ago. She and Petunia hadn’t spoken in ages since Petunia’s snit that she married one of _those_ …

“Indian?” she had shouted at her sister the last time she’d seen her. “If you’re going to be a racist, you might as well just embrace it, Tuney!”

It hadn’t gone over well, but in the end Lily would rather never speak to her again than see her sister eyeing her son the way she’d always eyed James.

So needless to say, when Sirius Black brought up a beach holiday in the States—of all places—Lily hadn’t been overly inclined to say no. Except when she actually thought about how they’d be in some hotel suite, far away from everything comfortable, and the weather certainly wasn’t very Christmas at all. It wasn’t precisely warm, but it was _balmy_ and during the day you could get away without a jumper and the sandy beaches were full of travellers.

Harry hadn’t been in the best of moods that Christmas Eve, and Sirius had done his shopping all last minute, so he decided he would do all of his wrapping downstairs at the nearly deserted hotel restaurant. The only thing going on at the hotel James had chosen was some conference—she’d seen the welcome board as they entered the lobby—and most of those people seemed fairly local so they all left the moment their meetings were over.

It was just the most bizarre holiday she’d ever spent, to tell the truth.

Which led her to having James sort out Harry’s bath whilst she wandered down to the very festive, over-decorated hotel bar where a disgruntled bartender stood, looking very much like he’d rather be anywhere else than serving her and the one other person sat at the bar.

It was a man likely round her age, mop of dark-tawny curls, large nose, an overbite she noticed when he smiled at her as she slid onto a stool at least nine away from his. He was clutching his hands round some amber liquid, not meeting her eyes after their initial, hotel-required head-nod. There were booths nearby with no one occupying them, and Home Alone playing on two of the tellys perched above the massive, lit-up display of cheap hotel liquor.

“What can I get you?”

“Gin and tonic,” Lily said. The bartender rattled off a few brands and she waved her hand at him. “Whatever’s your best. I need something with a kick.”

His mouth quirked up in the barest smile as he fetched her drink, and slid it across, the slice of lime tumbling to the bar-top, but she didn’t bother with it. The first drink was a little too cold for her liking—Americans with their _ice_ obsession, honestly every drink was full to the brim with it—but the slow burn of the gin took the edge off and she settled into a happy sigh.

Leaning one elbow on the top of the bar, she wondered if she’d be able to convince Sirius to take Harry for a little while. They were in a gorgeous suite with one of the nicest baths she’d ever seen—bubbly jets and big enough to fit at least four people—and frankly having soapy naked-time with her husband sounded like her ideal Christmas.

She reckoned it wouldn’t be too hard to convince Sirius who seemed to live for nothing more than entertaining his godson—no matter how much of a snit Harry would be in. But getting James to agree was less likely as suddenly after being on this holiday he was half-convinced that someone or something was out to destroy their good time. Mostly, she reckoned, because the day before at this little park with a roundabout and roller coaster, Harry managed to wander off for forty-five seconds.

Funny how everyone always assumed _she_ was going to be the hysterical parent. No one considered James “oh my god I’m pretty sure that person three hundred feet away wants to stab you” Potter might be a bit over the top when it came to his son.

Oddly—at least most of the time—it was endearing.

Taking another sip, Lily closed her eyes, and in that moment, she heard a voice rising from round the back of the booths. It was a sing-song tone, low and melodious and she recognised it instantly. “How can I ever face my fellow men? How can I ever face myself again? My soul belongs to God, I know...I made that bargain long ago…”

The man who’d been sat at the bar was now perched at the very end of it, opposite Lily, and was scribbling something on the receipt. He looked up at the sound of Sirius singing.

“Buggering fuck,” Sirius swore. Lily heard the sound of paper ripping, and then the distinct shufffft of sellotape being stuck to a hard surface and ripped off. “What the…who the fuck…who in the fuck made this so flimsy?”

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh at the image she had of Sirius who was—in all likelihood—covered in tape and wrapping paper, with bows probably stuck everywhere.

There was another sound of more paper being pulled from the cardboard tubing, and sfft sffft sffft, of scissors cutting. His voice rose again. “He gave me hope when hope was gone…he gave me strength to journey on…”

“Who am I?” the stranger at the end of the bar crooned. “Who am I…?”

There was a distinct pause, then Sirius cried out, “I am Jean Valjean!”

The stranger laughed and moved round the side of the booths until Lily couldn’t see him anymore. Unable to stop herself, she grabbed her drink and slid into the booth which was the only barrier between her and Sirius who was now talking to the strange man.

“Having trouble?” he asked, his accent distinctly British—Welsh she assumed. 

“Trying to wrap these bloody things before I go back upstairs but I swear Christmas has it out for me this year.”

The man snorted. “Well I could help, if you like. Two heads are better than one, and all that.”

There was a pause, and Lily held her breath because Sirius—in spite of his reputation which she had no idea where it came from—never engaged with strangers. He’d had a grand total of four relationships in his twenty-eight years of life, all of which ended in a bloody mess. But this bloke was cute and he sang with Sirius which meant something. It had to.

Christmas miracle or some rubbish.

She downed her drink and when she caught the bartender’s eye, she nodded for another. It was delivered as she was just able to make out the conversation.

Apparently Sirius was absolutely alright with the help.

“If you just hold the corner there, then I can…aha,” Sirius said, and Lily could hear the smile in his voice. “Excellent. Thanks er…”

“Remus,” he offered.

“Sirius.”

“Yes, I am.”

Sirius laughed. “No, that’s my name. Like the star?”

“Ah. Shit, I’m sorry. It’s nice to meet you. Nice running into a fellow Brit, at any rate.”

“Absolutely. My mates and I decided on a very random Christmas holiday, though I think we’re all regretting it a bit now.”

Just then a loud, toddler-esque musical number began to play and Sirius swore roundly. Lily could hear him hitting the wrapping paper, and eventually it ceased. 

“Your kid?”

Sirius spluttered. “Ah no. No my godson. I’ve not…I mean I don’t…” He cleared his throat. “No kids for me.”

“Don’t want them?”

“Haven’t had the opportunity just yet. You?”

There was more cutting and taping and wrapping paper pulling before Remus answered. “Actually I’ve one. My son, Teddy. He’s with my ex right now back in Brighton but I’ll be back there on the fourth.”

“Ah. You here for that conference?”

“I am.”

Lily sipped her drink and smirked, trying to imagine Sirius’ face. It was obvious this bloke was into him but Sirius was only slightly less oblivious than James and she had to restrain herself from getting up, walking round, and taking Sirius by the front of his shirt to scream, “He’s interested, snog him you lonely bastard!”

“I took this editing job a few months back. Didn’t realise it was going to be travelling like this. Not that I mind, really. Helped a bit this season as my ex and his new boyfriend are in our old flat and really…just didn’t want to think about it.”

“Oh I…” Sirius sounded far too cheerful and seemed to realise it as he dropped his voice. “That’s shit, I’m sorry. But if it helps, I’m a poor, single man tagging along on my best mate and his wife’s family Christmas so…”

Remus laughed. “Cheers to that, then. Though you haven’t a drink and I’ve finished mine.”

“Invisible ones then?”

Lily imagined them clinking together their fists and faking a drink and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. “Jesus,” she muttered into her glass, and finished off the gin. It made her feel a bit loopy, but in the best way, and she settled back into the seat.

The wrapping continued then, in silence, and she wondered if Sirius had somehow managed to fuck it up again until very softly she heard, “Just hold me now and let it be…shelter me…comfort me…”

Remus’ voice followed, “But you would live a hundred years, if I could show you how. I won’t desert you now…”

There was a pause, and a laugh, and Lily decided that was quite enough. She motioned for the bartender to grab her bill, signed it to her room, and decided that if there was such a thing as Christmas miracles, Sirius might have his tonight.

She might not get her fancy bathtub shag, but she had her husband’s warm arms to settle down with in their hotel bed, and her amazing son who looked at her with the brightest eyes like she was his entire world.

Heading up, she slipped into the room and saw James wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa. Harry was in his small travel cot, fast asleep with his stuffed puppy clutched hard to his chest. With a grin, James beckoned her over, and Lily slipped into his arms, easy as it had ever been.

His hand cupped her cheek, pulling her in for a soft kiss, his tongue gently pressing against hers until she pulled away. “You taste like gin.”

“Had a few,” she muttered, nuzzling his nose with her own. Her eyes fluttered closed and she breathed in the scent of him. “Sirius was down there attempting to wrap gifts.”

“That must have been a sight.”

Lily grinned to herself. “It was something.”

A hand then slipped under the blankets, ghosting under the hem of her shirt. Fingers splayed across her belly and hot breath ghosted round her ear. “Harry’s asleep and the bed is all empty.”

Lily’s eyes went dark, looking up at him with a smile easing across her mouth. “Is it? Maybe we should do something about that, hmm Mr Potter?”

“Oh…” He grinned and kissed her. “Oh I think so.”

*** 

An hour later Lily found herself padding down to the lobby for fresh towels as no one had answered the front desk phone and Harry had decided to wake up just after she and James had finished up in their bed. The vomit was projectile and rather impressive, but the clean-up was enough to make her crave a quick escape.

Rounding the corner, Lily came to a skidding halt when by the side of the guest laundry were two bodies intertwined, mouths locked together in a crushing embrace. She let out a sharp, “Oh, god!” and they broke apart with an audible _smack_.

Where Sirius might have looked ashamed in another life, now he simply grinned wildly at her. “Hello Lils. Have a nice night?”

“Oh not bad. Just a bit of projectile vomit. James is upstairs in the middle of the crisis and I’m fetching towels.”

Sirius’ face fell. “Shall I erm…?”

Lily shook her head, glancing at Remus’ kiss-swollen lips and slight hitch in his breath. “No, Sirius. Absolutely not. You two…have a nice time.”

Sirius grinned widely and the moment she was almost round the bend, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius grab Remus by the face and resume his previous motions. Maybe, she decided, this Christmas holiday wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
